Why is it impossible to listen to Ed Balls without wanting to give him a good smack? Listening to his interview with John Humphries on the Today programme this morning was a reminder why New Labour and its political class became so despised. His well-worn chant of NewLabours 'successes' grates when the bigger picture is analysed. His playing down of the conflict between Blair and Brown (of which he was a principal player) defies accepted truth. For the two great offices of State to exist in a condition of outright hostility, with briefing and counter-briefing, undermining crucial policy decisions, can only have done untold harm to our national interests. Throw the slimy Mandelson into the mix and what a nest of egotistical vipers we had running the country.
Yes there were many good things achieved but there will be many who regret the thirteen years of wasted opportunity:-
- to reduce the gap between the haves and have nots;
- to regulate big business and the banks;
- to promote civil liberties and rein in the powers of the state;
- to reform our democracy;
- to make our transport system fit for the future;
- to reform our disgraceful libel laws;
- to reform our criminal justice system;
- to curb ridiculous salaries in both the public and private sectors;
- to reduce the amount of non-jobs in quangos and consultancies;
- to make our education system fairer and more coherent and remove charitable status from public schools and finally,
- to not be so subservient to the Americans and not get involved in illegal wars.
There are other issues which readers may think of. As the Leadership race warms up there ought to be some real soul-searching among Labour supporters. An honest and frank exchange of views would help the process.
Experience tells us Ed Balls is genetically incapable of being either honest or frank.
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